Cigarette package holder



- April 20, 1948.

5. 1.. BECKWITH CIGARETTE PACKAGE HOLDER Filed July 23, 1946 Patented Apr. 20, 1948 amass gQIZ-REEL Edwin L: Beckwi-th, i-Brookline,

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Anathemaa r tends at both ends into the wieesi ie walls bf the said body, thereby for ing-a flexible hinge and permitting a portion 1gt;;ig lge end wall prun tem rari y into Qren aeesifi ation into shape to fit and substantially enclo e a cigarette package. The package is first opened at oneend and then inserted into the openen d ii-th ea e with its w at estededbat normally closed end of the'case. The transverse slit in the end of the case sets ofi a portion somewhat wider than the cross sectional area of the cigarettes at one side of the package and this offset portion serves as a displaceable cover which may be sprung outwardly due to the inherent resiliency of the plastic material.

Preferably and as herein shown the transverse slit is extended into parallel slits in the side walls of the case which slits define rounded projections or catches over which corresponding parts of the cover section must be sprung in opening the case. As an optional feature there is herein shown a projecting flange on each side of the cover portion and these may be engaged by the fingers of the user to facilitate the pen ing of the case.

These and other features of the invention will be best understood and appreciated from the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof, selected for purposes of illustration and shown in the accompanying drawings, in which- Fig. 1 is a view in perspective of the closed case containing a cigarette package, a

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the casein open condition, and

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view in perspective showing a modified construction.

In its illustrated form the case of my inven- 'MarSSu Dover,

ient.plastiamateriatmoldedintsheet.iorm. tough, moldable. resilient-r resinousproduct may be used tor the Qt: th

exemflta m litant-L c te be eliminated n 4,

ase such m 9 moor ible hinge in this oifset section which includes also flanges formed in the wide side walls and the outwardly projecting curved flanges l6 and the severed portion of the end wall l2. The con vex portions formed by the semi-circular slits M in the cover normally lie inside and opposite to rounded projections or catches I1 correspondingly formed in the body of the case.

By reason of the natural resiliency of the material the case tends at all times to remain in the closed position shown in Fig. 1. However, by applying outward pressure to the flanges It the hinged portion above defined may be swung outwardly as suggested in Fig. 2 and in this movement the convex side portions of the cover may be snapped past the projecting catches I'l formed at the intersection of the semi-circular and straight slits l4 and [5. The cigarette package I8 is shown in the drawings as containing individual cigarettes I9 of which four are partially exposed when the cover is swung outwardly as in Fig. 2. After a cigarette has been removed, the cover tends to close immediately and automatically and in its closing movement the convex portions of the cover will snap past the catch projections l1 formed in the side walls of the case.

In Fig. 3 is shown a modified construction in tion comprises a rectangular body of thin resilwhich the hinge-forming slits 15' are located in e jow W II from the body of the case and-'forma fiexl' of my invention is to provide in each carton one case containing a single cigarette package. The user would then insert successive packages in the case until the carton became exhausted and would then be provided with a brand new case when he opened the next carton.

Having thus disclosed my invention and'described in detail an illustrative embodiment thereof, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States:

1. A cigarette case comprising an integral rectangular body of thin, resilient, transparentplastic material, open at one end to receive a cigarette package, and having at its other end a normally closed face intersected near one edge by a transverse slit which is connected by short curved slits in the wide side walls of the said body to longitudinal slits extending more than half way to the open end'of the body, thereby forming a resilient hinge in the adjacent narrow wall of the body, and flanges projecting from the walls of the body adjacent to the said short curved slits.

2. A case for a cigarette package, comprising a rectangular body of thin resilient plastic material having two wide side walls, two narrow "side walls, one open end and one normally. closed end transversely slitted' near one end edge thereof, the wide side walls having longitudinal slits therein which are connectedto the transverse slit in the end wall by short curved slits, all the slits together setting off an elongated portion in one narrow side wall which is flexible by rea-' son of itsresi lient material, and the short curved slits forming complementary projections that by reason of their resilient material may be sprung past each other in opening the case.

3. A case for a cigarette package, comprising an open ended rectangular body of thin resilient plastic material having wide and narrow side walls and a normally closed end wall transversely slitted within one edge, the said transverse slit being extended at both ends into semi-circular slits in the wide side walls of the said body and the'semi-circular slits merging into straight slits extending-for a substantial distance parallel and adjacent to one of the narrow side walls thereby setting off a flexible hinge therein and permitting a portion of the end wall to be sprung tempoi'arily into open position.

' 4. Acase for acigarette package, comprising an' open ended-rectangular body of thin resilient plastic material having wide and narrow side walls and a normally closed end wall transversely slitted and providing a cover, the said slit being extended'-' at both ends into short curved slits which merge into longitudinal slits that extend in the wide side walls adjacent to the opposite edges of. one of the narrow side walls and set oil the major portion of the said side wall from the body of the. case, the set-ofi portion of the narrow side wall carrying with it a portion of the end wall and being flexible as a whole because of its resilient material so that it may be sprung temporarily into open position.

EDWIN L. BECKWITH.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

Great Britain Nov. 27, 1924 

